German theologians call for end to celibacy

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110204/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_church_reforms;_ylt=Ainv4LA5NbmVAPV97gHuvx50bBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwOWtxcTNjBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwMjA0L2V1X2dlcm1hbnlfY2h1cmNoX3JlZm9ybXMEcG9zAzM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2dlcm1hbnRoZW9sbw--

BERLIN – University theologians in Germany have called on the Catholic Church to abandon the vow of celibacy for priests, open up the clergy for women and accept gays couples.

The 143 professors said the church must implement bold reforms because of "a crisis without precedent" following the discovery of widespread sexual and physical abuses by clergymen a year ago.

More Christians than ever have turned their backs on the Catholic Church in the past year, they said. "The Church has to understand these signs and move beyond its ossified structures to regain new vitality and credibility."

The appeal, published in newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Friday edition, called on the church's leadership to stop excluding gay couples and remarried Christians.

"The Church also needs married priests and women holding positions in the clergy," the appeal said — in clear defiance of the Vatican's dogmas.

But Germany's Bishops Conference on Friday cautiously welcomed the appeal, saying it could enhance the ongoing reform discussion, while noting several proposals contradicted the church's principles.

"On some issues, the memorandum is in conflict with theological convictions and church regulations that are highly binding," Bishops Conference Secretary Hand Langendoerfer said in a statement.

The appeal — signed by a few Austrian, Swiss and by almost a third of Germany's Catholic university theologians — is a rare challenge to the clergy establishment and the Vatican, because the church has a veto right in appointing theologians at Germany's state-run universities.

But the wealthy Catholic Church in the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI sees the number of its followers dwindling, leading to lower proceeds every year, and ever fewer young men choosing to become priests.

Several leading lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party — among them parliamentary Speaker Nobert Lammert and Education Minister Annette Schavan — last month also appealed to Germany's bishops to fight for the vow of celibacy's abolition, citing "the increasing lack of priests."

The theologians, in turn, said the challenges are already obvious for a long time, but there are still no church reforms within sight.

"The disturbance of open dialogue without any taboos does not go well with everybody, especially when there's a papal visit upcoming," the theologians said, referring to Benedict's planned visit in September.

The professors also called for a more democratic and less centralized church, including giving the faithful a say in appointing their priests and bishops. "What can be decided locally, should be decided there," the appeal said.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

OK..I can see the married thing...it should weed out some of the pervs in the Catholic church...but nix the gay thing. They have enough pervs in that church as it is...no need to invite more.

[Ban Hammer 13,481]

:rofl: :rofl:

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

:rofl: :rofl:

My fantasy of scoring with a hot virgin nun might come true after all.

[Dan and Judy 614]

the title is a little off, They are calling for an end to the "vow" of celibacy. Julie Andrews and Sally Fields are my favorite nuns but it would screw up my fantasies

if they became priests.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

the title is a little off, They are calling for an end to the "vow" of celibacy. Julie Andrews and Sally Fields are my favorite nuns but it would screw up my fantasies

if they became priests.

[Danno 1,228]

OK..I can see the married thing...it should weed out some of the pervs in the Catholic church...but nix the gay thing. They have enough pervs in that church as it is...no need to invite more.

Teachers are allowed to marry and they molest more youth than priests do.

How do you propose we fix that problem?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Teachers are allowed to marry and they molest more youth than priests do.

How do you propose we fix that problem?

Erm... the Catholic Church is a global institution Danno.

[Danno 1,228]

Erm... the Catholic Church is a global institution Danno.

IF you have a relevant counterpoint please make it.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That would require me to take your implied comparison between school teachers and Catholic priests seriously. I don't.

[Danno 1,228]

That would require me to take your implied comparison between school teachers and Catholic priests seriously. I don't.

The problem is; Your point is never deeper than a bumper sticker.

[Peikko 1,575]

OK..I can see the married thing...it should weed out some of the pervs in the Catholic church...but nix the gay thing. They have enough pervs in that church as it is...no need to invite more.

That is odious.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The problem is; Your point is never deeper than a bumper sticker.

The problem is: you accuse others of your own faults.

[Dan and Judy 614]

Eliminating the vow of celibacy is the wrong strategy. The solution is to enforce the vow celibacy. When they take the vow, a simple castration would insure compliance. Anyone not serious about the vow would not make this sacrifice. If it's good enough for choir

boys, it's good enough for priests. Then when you see a priest, instead of thinking he is probably a child molester, You could say to

yourself " Now there goes a guy who had the balls to get castrated.

[Peikko 1,575]

That does rather negate the point of the vow of celibacy. It's meant to be something that people choose as a sacrifice, a constant struggle, not a quick snip and your fixed. Besides which, it is also odious to try to peddle the view that it's the vow of celibacy that turns people into child molesters - that's clearly not the cause at all.